Watches to Watch out For

May 14, 2019Bespoke Suit and Shirt Tailor (Savile Row, London)

Just in case you don’t always want to hear about the tailoring!

By Charlie. Tuesday 14th May 2019.

We are always busy at Henry Herbert – there is always something to do to keep us on our toes. A last minute customer request, organising fabrics and trimmings, serving customers both in our workshops or at their hotels and offices with our special Vespa scooter service, working with our two apprentices…and of course the making, tailoring and altering! But sometimes you might not always want to hear what I have to say! So, here to save the day every so often is Rupert Watkins and his thoughts around the rest of the luxury world – a kind of Gentleman Explorer! These are his thoughts on watches….

Watch collecting is a passion and for those bitten by the bug, tracking down the rarest of limited run editions and obtaining one off examples with impeccable and rare provenance becomes all consuming.

For many though, that realm of collecting is slightly beyond our reach. In a world that is dominated by high end Swiss watch brands, those seeking equally remarkable and slightly more under the radar watch firms should look to the German watch makers.

Germany has a long tradition of watch making stretching back to the beginning of the 19th Century. Many of the finest manufacturers are clustered in Glashütte in east Germany and there you will find illustrious brands such as A. Lange & Söhne, Mühle Glashütte and Nomos. At this rarefied end of the market, the prices can equal those of the top Swiss horology firms. So, for those seeking interesting and outstanding value we could first head to the German banking city of Frankfurt and Sinn watches.

The firm was founded by Helmut Sinn, a Luftwaffe pilot who was shot down in Russia, lost both his little fingers and saw out the war as an instructor. Sinn went on to have a 50-year long career in the watch industry. Though originally made in Switzerland, the success of the company soon meant production was moved to Germany and in 1979, Sinn had the means to procure a substantial amount of industrial assets being sold off by a then insolvent Breitling – which also explains the stylistic similarities between the brands. Sinn was an early exponent of selling direct to the customer cutting out the watch dealerships in order to keep costs reasonable.

Sinn produces a range of pilot’s chronographs, diving and dress watches. The pilot’s watches are indeed very similar to Breitling’s Navitimer and Cosmonaute models though a fair bit more reasonable and those seeking an elegant, dressier chronograph to wear with a suit could do far worse than look at Sinn’s 356 Flieger model. At £1,850 for a fully mechanical chronograph it is excellent value. Sinn’s ranges in recent years have slowly become more expensive but for the £4 – 6,000 price category this firm offers a lot of watch bang for your buck. Perhaps among the Swiss manufacturers only Oris offers similarly good value.

However, Sinn – known to be a forthright personality – was not done with the watch world yet. Having sold Sinn in 1994, after a break he acquired Guinard – a then defunct Swiss brand – in 1995 and continued to stay true to his roots producing excellent value, high quality watches with an aviation and military edge.

Again, there is a similar feel to Breitling in the company’s pilot chronographs but with a Serie 40 fully mechanical chronograph starting at under £1,500 this is another brand the budding watch connoisseur should be aware of. It also continues to operate a direct to consumer web-based business model.

Guinard itself traces its history back to 1865. Since the early 60s, it had been one of the manufacturers Sinn used before production was moved to Germany. Though Guinard continued to manufacture in Switzerland – often for other labels – until the 90s, in the early 2000s it moved to Frankfurt. Though Helmut Sinn died at 102 early in 2018, both Sinn and Guinard still bear his indelible stamp. At both firms Sinn’s motto was, “as perfect as possible, but only as expensive as necessary.” If you’re looking for two more unusual watches to discreetly protrude from under the cuff of your Henry Herbert jacket – firms with long and interesting backstories – these are two brands to know about.

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Just in case you don't always want to hear about the tailoring! By Charlie. Tuesday 14th May 2019. We are always busy at Henry Herbert - there is always so

Henry Herbert are bespoke tailors, offering bespoke tailoring to the highest standards of Savile Row. London is the gold standard of bespoke suits. But we know it is not always easy to make appointments in a busy work week and so, if you are looking for the finest bespoke suits and bespoke shirts, try our Savile Row by Scooter visiting tailor service. Our London tailors are trained to help find your perfect style and fit, using the finest bespoke suit and shirt fabrics. Find out more about the history of bespoke tailoring.

Yet another fantastic suit with Charlie and Alexander of Henry Herbert Tailors! Attention to detail, factoring in how my older suits currently fit, have resulted in me being a happy client once again. It should be noted that Charlie and Alexander also provide an excellent aftercare service to my older suits. The customer attention does not end once they hand over the finished product to you - it is ongoing. I think I would like to give their shirts a try now!read more

Never had a tailored garment before but decided to treat myself to a morning suit for my wedding - very happy I went with Henry Herbert. Service was top notch, they went out of their way making sure the fittings had virtually no disruption to my day. Massive choice of materials ranging from traditional to something a bit different, so you can get exactly the look you're after and a suit that is completely unique to you. The quality and fit is excellent and made me feel even more special on the big day. Thanks Charlie and the team.read more

There are two things that really set Henry Herbert’s apart. Firstly the quality of the tailoring. I’ve just had my wedding suit made and couldn’t be happier with the outcome - Charlie worked tirelessly to ensure every detail was arranged. And secondly, the personal service that makes the whole tailoring process a complete delight and thoroughly enjoyable experience from the customer perspective. I can not recommend Charlie and the team highly enough and I’ll certainly be back in the future.read more